Leyonhjelm’s horse trading on ABCC reveals his craven opportunism

Greens spokesperson for gun control Senator Lee Rhiannon has commented on reports that Senator Leyonhjelm is seeking to pressure the Turnbull government into relaxing national gun laws, in exchange for his support of the ABCC.

‘There should not be horse trading on these bills. It is so important that we do not let our stringent gun laws slip away by bartering over bills like this.

‘The ABCC is a piece of anti-worker legislation. It has nothing to do with cracking down on corruption, it is about union busting.

‘We know the Turnbull government is desperate to resurrect the ABCC bill, but are they so desperate that they are willing to relax sensible gun laws that keep our communities safe?

‘For Senator Leyonhjelm who presents himself as a libertarian to consider voting for the ABCC shows how opportunistic he is. This government bill would deny workers legal representation, remove their right to silence and compel them to give evidence with the possibility of gaol if they do not comply.

‘On August 20 last year Senator Leyonhjelm said in parliament ‘I managed to blackmail the government on adding a sunset clause to its Adler ban’. This is how he does politics.

‘This Adler shotgun import ban is in place on the best advice of state, terrority and federal law enforcement agencies, until the National Firearms Agreement is reviewed.

'The Turnbull government must uphold the legacy of the Howard government and not compromise public safety for their anti-union, electoral agenda.